Autism and Pets

(From MedPage) "Getting a pet may help autistic children improve their social skills, a small study showed." "Children with autism who acquired a pet after age 5 showed gains in two prosocial behaviors -- "offering to share" and "offering comfort" -- compared with those who had never had a pet (P<0.0014 for both), according to Marine Grandgeorge, PhD, of the Centre Hospitalier Regional Universitaire de Brest in France, and colleagues." "Autistic children who had had a pet since birth, however, showed no differences compared with their pet-less peers, the researchers reported online in PLoS One." "Given the potential ability of individuals with autism to develop prosocial behaviors, related studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms involved in the development of such child-pet relationships," the authors wrote. Click here to read the entire article: Pets Boost Social Skills in Kids with Autism Click http://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/Autism/34012 For information on services I provide for children, adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD visit my website at www.relatedminds.com